Dirty Little Secret
by Jacknimble
Summary: For the challenge between Munkman13 and I. A one shot for all the Fluttercord fans out there.


**For the challenge between Munkman13 and I. Today's topic: Fluttercord.**

-Dirty Little Secret-

Flutter Shy had a secret. She was surprisingly good at keeping secrets, since nobody really felt the need to push too much evidence out of her, or listened to her if she talked. The rest of her friends either wore their heart on their sleeve, or they were really bad at it. But that wasn't the important thing. The important thing was Flutter Shy's secret.

It had started a few months ago. She had stayed after school, not realizing that band practice had been cancelled because of some reason or another. Flutter Shy had been left wandering the halls of Canterlot High School all by herself. Vice Principal Luna had found out she was sneaking animals into school grounds and forced her to stay low for a while, so Flutter Shy didn't even have Angel to talk to.

"All alone?" She heard, a smooth voice purr across the lobby of the school. Flutter Shy squeaked and turned to look at a gangly man with a large smirk spread across his face. He was wearing a navy blue jumpsuit with a little white tag over the left breast. The man was leaning on a mop and balancing one shoe on the bucket with which he was washing the floor.

Flutter Shy fixated on the foot, not daring to look the stranger in the eyes, "Um, y-yes…" she whispered, shying slightly away from the man. This only seemed to catch his attention more and he stepped closer to Flutter Shy with a distinct limp on his left leg.

"What's wrong?" He asked, bending forward at the waist and staring at the girl with harsh intensity in his eyes, "Cat got your tongue?" He chuckled at his own joke and erected himself quickly, "My name is Discord, in case you're illiterate. Although, considering that you're in this fine institution," he took this moment to throw his long gangly arms into the air, letting the mop clatter to the floor, "You must be a rather smart girl."

"Th-thanks…!" Flutter Shy said, peering through the gap of her hair sideways at the man standing before her. He was clearly keeping his weight on the right side of his body and she subconsciously wondered why. Slowly, her gaze shifted up towards his outstretched hand that hand been shoved under her nose. It was splotched with two different colors, a pale tan in some parts, and in others, a much more pinkish skin tone.

"Well? Isn't it polite to introduce oneself when one meets another?" He asked slyly, "Whats your name, little one?"

A barely audible squeak escaped Flutter Shy's lips.

"Come again?" Discord asked, leaning in closer to Flutter Shy, causing her to back up some more.

A whispered response again as she slowly retreated from the man. Discord rolled his eyes and shifted closer to her again, getting rather impatient. The advance caught Flutter Shy off guard and as she stepped backwards, she stepped over herself and fell on to her butt.

"Ouch!" She exclaimed. A hand was offered and without thinking, Flutter Shy took a hold of Discord's mottled palm and accepted his help to her feet. Flutter Shy's eyes traveled up the arm and to the face of her new acquaintance.

His hair was black for the most part, except for a few streaks that appeared to have been dyed a bright silver. Discord had a tuft of hair at the tip of his chin and bushy eyebrows to match. The color difference on his hand also appeared to spread part way up his face, a clear portion of his neck containing the mottle and even some marks appearing on his cheek. But his eyes were what drew Flutter Shy in the most. Those eyes that relaxed inside of her and somehow didn't manage to look at her as if they were holding a china doll in the way that so many eyes had looked at her before. They looked back into her eyes with something playing the line between interest and boredom. Perhaps like a cat did to a mouse.

"I'm Flutter Shy." Flutter Shy managed without stuttering, even putting her voice up to a reasonable level of audibility.

"Nice to meet you, Flutter Shy," Discord told her. From there on, it seemed so easy to talk to Discord. He would listen to what she said, and somehow he could put everything into perspective without making it sound so awful. He was like Vice Principal Luna, but funny.

Discord had many funny stories that he would share with Flutter Shy, describing his whole life as he mopped the floor of the school. He told her all about everything, even without her asking. One of the first stories he told her was about his skin.

"It's called vitiligo," he started, pointing at a splotch on his cheek, "Something in the skin doesn't work right and I get a lack of color in some parts. It's very strange, but I love it, I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Why? Weren't you bullied as a kid for it?"

"Oh, endlessly. But, it didn't matter to me. I knew I was different, and I knew that I would be like this forever," he explained, waving his hand idly as he spoke, "My mother used to try and console me, saying that God had decided to paint me a little more than other people." Discord chuckled and shook his head from side to side, "I always thought that was funny, for two reasons. One, vitiligo is a lack of pigment, which means God would be spending less time painting me. And two, if God had painted me to look like this," he said, gesturing to his entire body, "He must have a kick out of modern art."

Flutter Shy laughed at that, it had been a while since she actually laughed. There was so much that bothered her on a daily basis, but now, it all seemed to float away into the soft glow of the setting sun as she spoke more and more with Discord.

That wasn't the secret. There's no problem with talking with a janitor and making a friend out of him. The problem came when she spoke with Vice Principal Luna about all of it.

"Flutter Shy," Luna had warned, "I want you to be careful about who you talk to."

"Huh?" Flutter Shy asked.

"He's doing community service, Flutter Shy. Discord is on probation, Principal Celestial decided to give him a chance this year, as long as he stayed off school grounds during school hours."

That was where the problem arose. Flutter Shy didn't want to not talk to Discord, but he could be dangerous, she couldn't help but wait around after band practice to meet with her friend and speak with him about life and challenges, animals and vitiligo.

But at the same time, Flutter Shy knew she couldn't let her friends know. They would worry. They would tell Principal Celestial and Vice Principal Luna and that might make Discord lose this opportunity to turn his life around. But, if she didn't meet with Discord, who knew what might happen?

Flutter Shy knew he had affected her, and she had hoped that she affected him.

It was a long time before this problem was solved. One day, Discord just, wasn't there. Flutter Shy wandered the halls after band practice, trying to find her nice friend. But, he wasn't to be seen. The only one she found was Vice Principal Luna.

Luna sighed and stepped close to Flutter Shy, "Flutter Shy," Luna began, "Do you remember that man you talked to a while ago? The janitor?"

"Yes…?"

"Well, you'll be happy to know that he will no longer be working here. Discord managed to get out of probation thanks to the time he put in here with community service. Discord had a steady job now."

Luna began to walk away, not bothering to see Flutter Shy react to the news. Luna herself had grown somewhat attached to the clown, even if he was a criminal, he had changed so much over the time he worked at the school. She was sad to see him go.

"Wait!" Flutter Shy called out, "Do you know where he works now?" Flutter Shy bit her lip, hopeful to find her lost friend, to reconnect at least once to congratulate him on his reformation.

"I think he's a stonemason."

 **The end was kind of a let down. Sorry. I figured I might as well try and toss in one joke for the show since this is Discord we're talking about.**


End file.
